Remedy
by RinsDarkMagician
Summary: There's something wrong with Lui and no one knows what it is. Naoji must figure out what's wrong and do his best to help his beloved friend.
1. Tea is the Remedy

It wasn't often that the five Strahl Candidates missed their classes. In fact one could argue that they never missed class. So when one of them, the least likely one at that, did miss class it did not go unnoticed.

"Why wasn't Lui in class today?" Orphe asked Naoji as they all made their way to the greenhouse. "He missed all of them. That's not like him."

Naoji was just as confused as Orphe was. He honestly didn't know why Lui had missed his classes. He couldn't deny how it worried him though. "I'm not sure." Naoji confessed. "I'll check on him later, though I can't imagine why he would miss his classes."

When they made it to the greenhouse, Ed showed that he wasn't going to let Lui's absence ruin anyone's good time. He continued to joke and laugh and goof around as he would do any day. Naoji wasn't sure if he was trying to lift his and Camus' spirits, but as much as the two of them tried to hide it, it was obvious they were worried about Lui. They smiled and laughed and pretended to feel better as Ed did his best to cheer them up.

However, when night fell he could do nothing to make them feel better. They went their separate ways to their rooms except for Naoji, who went to pay Lui a visit. His worry made him forget about bringing any tea to him and he knocked lightly but hurriedly on Lui's door. When there was no answer he got even more worried. Not even so much as a call to let him know anyone was inside….

Naoji couldn't help himself as he closed his eyes and opened the door. The room was dark on the inside so he felt around for any source of light.

"Don't."

Naoji instantly stopped as he heard someone speak. It was definitely Lui, but he sounded tired. Something wasn't right at all.

"Don't turn on the lights," Lui said in barely a whisper. Naoji obeyed him as he shut the door behind him, carefully making his way to Lui's bed. When he was halfway there Lui started coughing harshly. Naoji immediately ran to his side and touched his back, feeling his body shake with every cough.

"Lui…."

It took a few moments for Lui to finally stop coughing though he was still wheezing and gasping deeply. Naoji went to the windows and opened the curtains to let the moonlight shine through. He knew there would be enough light for him to see his friend well, but not enough to make him uncomfortable.

Naoji returned to Lui's side to see his figure strewn about the bed. His hair was a mess, nearly covering the entire pillow and some of the upper portion of the bed. He was still breathing hard and with each breath came a small, barely noticeable moan with it. Naoji gently place the back of his hand to Lui's forehead and held it there. His skin felt moist and clammy and on closer inspection his clothes were drenched in sweat.

"We should take you to see the nurse," Naoji said, ready to help Lui up and take him wherever he needed to go.

"No, I want to stay here."

A brief look of aggravation crossed Naoji's face though it was quickly lost as Lui coughed a few more times. This wasn't any time to be stubborn….

"You're really sick, Lui. I think it would be best to take you to the nurse."

However, Lui just turned to his side, his back facing the Japanese boy. Naoji quickly walked to the other side of the bed and bent down to look Lui in the eyes. It broke his heart to see his friend in this state and he wanted nothing more than to help, but what could he do if his friend refused his offers for assistance?

"I want tea." Lui said slowly. He began coughing again and he buried his face in his pillow to muffle the sound. Naoji just shook his head, concern overflowing his body. He gently stroked Lui's hair until his coughing fit ended.

"You don't need tea right now. Let me take you to the nurse, please."

But Lui just shook his head. "No, I want your tea, Naoji. It can help me."

Naoji almost scoffed. How could tea possibly help him now? Naoji was about to argue again when he realized Lui was right. Tea most definitely could help. How could he have forgotten one of the most common traditions of his homeland? Tea wasn't drunk just for the taste of it. There were herbal teas that could help with various illnesses. Perhaps Naoji could whip something up for his friend and hopefully help him out some.

"I'll be right back." Naoji told Lui gently. "I'll have some tea for you."

It hurt him to leave as he heard Lui begin coughing again. How did he get so sick? He was fine just yesterday as far as Naoji remembered. He hadn't been complaining of a cough or his throat being sore, but then again Lui didn't complain much about anything. He certainly wouldn't let on that he was feeling sick, though Naoji wished he had confided in him. Perhaps he could have helped prevent the severity of the illness with some of his herbal teas.

However, it was too late to bother thinking about those things. Naoji quickly put together some tea using herbs he had brought with him from Japan. He was never happier that he had this knowledge; it would come in handy a lot more than he thought it would. Before he even realized he had finished making the tea he had already put it all on a tray and set out for Lui's room.

"Lui?" Naoji called gently. He walked into the room and set the tray down on the table, listening to the sounds of Lui's short and gasping breaths. Each breath sounded wheezy and difficult and Naoji could only shake his head, wondering why his friend refused to tell him ahead of time that he was feeling unwell.

"I have the tea you asked for." Naoji poured a cup and made his way to the bed. "It's not your usual tea. It's an herbal remedy from Japan. It should help your cough and it should also soothe your sore throat."

Naoji gently sat down on the bed and did his best to help Lui sit up. Moving so much caused Lui to begin coughing harshly again. He bent over from his sitting position and tried his best to muffle the sounds, though it was pointless. Naoji rubbed Lui's back in circles, knowing it wouldn't do much to help his coughing, but hoping it would at least raise his spirits a bit. When the coughing finally calmed down Lui lifted his tired body up, but instantly fell against Naoji. Naoji held him and let Lui rest his head on his shoulder.

"Drink this. It'll help some," Naoji said gently. He stroked Lui's long hair and used his other hand to lift the cup to Lui's mouth. Lui's hands instantly went around the cup and as shaky as they were they helped Naoji navigate to his mouth to let the liquid flow in. Naoji supposed his friend didn't want to seem completely helpless.

"It's good," Lui said after he had finished. Naoji was pleased to hear he liked it, though he still wanted to ask why Lui refused to let him know about how sick he was.

"You've been feeling this coming on for a while, haven't you?" Naoji asked. "One doesn't get so sick overnight. I'm sure you've been feeling the symptoms for a few days now."

Lui seemingly ignored his question as he slid down and held Naoji around his waist while resting his head on his lap. Naoji still ran his fingers through Lui's hair, undoing some of the tangles that appeared since he hadn't brushed his hair that day. His breathing was still wheezy, but in general his breathing had calmed down. He wasn't gasping or harshly taking in air like he was before.

"You'll fall asleep easier," Naoji said. "I put a sleeping herb in the tea along with the medicinal herbs so it won't be as difficult for you to sleep tonight."

"It would be foolish of you to stay here while I'm sick," Lui said, his voice tired and raspy.

"I'm going to stay regardless."

"I didn't tell you to leave. I just said you were being foolish."

Naoji smiled and nodded, knowing Lui couldn't see it. After sometime had passed Naoji could sense that Lui had fallen asleep. His breathing was more even and steady and though it was still wheezy, it did sound better. He hoped his tea would be able to cure him of whatever sickness plagued him and from the looks of it he had at least somewhat succeeded.

Naoji woke the next morning with his back and neck stiff from sleeping in an upright position. He stretched his neck as best as he could and looked down to see Lui still asleep on his lap. He gently moved him, but froze as he let out a few small coughs. Luckily he still seemed to be asleep. Naoji took the opportunity to feel his forehead. It wasn't as warm as it was during the night and he wasn't as clammy either. Looking at his face Naoji could tell he would be feeling much better. He gave himself a pat on the back for making an excellent remedy. However, classes were starting and Naoji wanted to run to his room to freshen up so he left Lui for the rest of the day, confident that when he returned to him he would be feeling much better.

When classes were over for the day and night had fallen Naoji once again visited Lui in his room. He had brought along with him the same herbal tea from the night before, hoping Lui wouldn't be too stubborn in taking it.

"How are you feeling?" Naoji asked. He noticed Lui was sitting at the table and that he was dressed in different pajamas. That was definitely a good sign.

"Better. That tea of yours was extremely helpful."

"I'm glad. I brought more for you today. You won't feel completely better for a few days, but drinking this will certainly speed up the recovery process."

Neither of them said a word as Naoji poured the tea. Lui graciously took it and slowly drank it, watching Naoji do the same with his tea. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed the way Naoji was swallowing.

"How is your throat?"

The question took Naoji off guard. He thought he was hiding it well, but it wasn't often that he could hide anything from Lui.

"It's a little sore," he answered truthfully. "I'm catching the sickness before it can get any worse. I'm drinking lots of tea and I saw the nurse so she could give me some medicine."

Lui stared at him for a moment longer before getting up and heading to his bed. "You may leave," he said with a few coughs following it. He brought the covers to his face and snuggled deep within the warmth of the blanket.

"If you don't mind I would prefer to stay here with you. I want to make sure you're really okay. I even brought my nightclothes with me so I can stay…if you don't mind…." Naoji said in a small and hesitant voice. Just when Naoji was sure Lui was done with him he heard his friend say something.

"Foolish."

Naoji smiled, recognizing that as a yes. He quickly changed his clothes and debated between sleeping the chair or in the bed with Lui. He wasn't exactly sure what Lui would want. He sat in the chair although there was an immediate response to that.

"Do you plan on sleeping there? You're already here and getting sick so you might as well share the bed with me."

Not wanting to make Lui anymore agitated, Naoji stood and made his way over to the bed. He crawled in and couldn't deny that he was never extremely comfortable sharing a bed with another person. However, Lui was a lot more affectionate than he ever could have imagined. As soon as he got in the bed Lui wrapped his arms around his waist and hid his face in his neck. Naoji tensed though he figured if he had to be in this position with anyone he would want it to be Lui. He calmed down and moved the hair away from Lui's face so he could touch his cheeks and forehead. He was still warm but it was a lot better than the day before. He was sure that by morning Lui would be feeling like his old self. As he fell asleep he smiled and thought about how Lui would take care of him when he inevitably would get sick as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Not exactly one of my favorite stories I've written. I keep thinking how it could be better and at the same time I just can't get it to be better, you know? I think this is as good as it's gonna get so if you like it please let me know haha. Thanks for reading ^_^<strong>


	2. Water is the Remedy

**So...I don't know if Naoji has a bathroom in his room...but for this story he does haha! Get to it! Read, read!  
><strong>

Lui couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he opened Naoji's room door and stepped inside. The room was dark so he quickly found the light source and lit the room brightly. He heard Naoji hiss from his place on the bed and watched as the covers went up just a bit higher so his eyes would be shielded.

"And how are you feeling today, Naoji?"

Naoji stayed quiet. He couldn't tell if Lui was seriously asking him or if he was teasing him. Lui had made fun of him a bit for catching whatever it was he had, though he had been sure to check on him for the past two days to make sure he was all right.

"If I knew how to make that tea of yours I would have done so already," Lui told him. "However, if you hadn't gotten sick then I wouldn't have to worry about making the tea would I? That is your job after all so please hurry and get better so you can start again."

Naoji couldn't make the herbal medicine Lui had when he was sick. He was simply too exhausted to make it for himself. The only medicine he had was what the school nurse gave him and those medicines worked much slower than his herbs.

"Lui, please…." Naoji coughed a few times and decided he better not try to talk again. The only thing he really wanted was for Lui to turn off the lights. However, as Lui made himself comfortable on the bed and started touching Naoji's face and chest he knew there was no way those lights were coming off. He didn't understand why Lui was spending so much time around him. There was a high chance of him catching the sickness again and the whole cycle would be repeated.

"You're so clammy. This won't do at all. I know what you need."

Naoji wasn't sure what was going through Lui's head as he jumped off the bed and opened the door to Naoji's small bathroom. He heard water running and almost wanted to run away. How was he supposed to take a bath when he could barely stand? He was ready to completely refuse Lui when he came back and started messing around with Naoji's clothes.

"What are you doing?" Naoji asked in between coughs.

"I think a bath will make you feel a little better." Lui said calmly as he wrestled Naoji out of his pajama top. Of course, the Japanese boy couldn't put up much of a fight otherwise he would have told Lui that he was fine without a bath. He did however find the strength to slap Lui's hands away as they went for his pants.

"Lui, don't. Please, I'm so tired."

"And this bath will help you, I promise." Lui said. "I trusted your remedy so you should trust mine."

There was never a moment when Naoji didn't trust Lui. It's just that this time Naoji really wanted to be left alone rather than try out different ways to make him feel better. Before he could even get another word out Lui swiftly removed his pants and his underwear, the shock of it causing Naoji to go into a coughing fit. Lui held in a giggle as he watched Naoji do his best to cover his mouth and his body with his hands. The overly flustered boy was failing miserably.

When Naoji finally quit coughing all he could worry about was hiding his exposed self from Lui; however, when he tried Lui grabbed his wrists and leaned over to his ear.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

From his ears to his toes Naoji could feel his entire body turn red. He kept his eyes away from Lui as he felt himself get lifted into his arms. Lui kept his lips on Naoji's temple until they reached the bathtub where he gently set him in the warm water to let him soak a bit.

He didn't know how Lui had managed it, but the water was the perfect temperature. It didn't make Naoji feel too hot or too cold. He could almost imagine that he was at a relaxing spring. He closed his eyes and let himself get settled when he felt something sliding along his arm. He opened them again to see that Lui had rolled up his sleeves and was washing him with a cloth.

"Oh, Lui, you don't have to-" He was cut off as a few more coughs made their way out of him.

Lui didn't say anything as he continued to drag the cloth along Naoji's arm up to his shoulder. He ran it along his chest and Naoji couldn't deny how nice it felt. He closed his eyes again and let Lui do whatever he wanted. He thought about mentioning how Lui was spending a lot of time rubbing his nipple, but he let it go. He couldn't deny how enjoyed the feel of it and the water washing away the sweat and grim. The water felt so wonderful and he hadn't taken a bath since he had gotten sick so it was nice to finally feel fresh and clean again. He almost felt as if he was washing the sickness away as well.

He let out a wheezy sigh as Lui started to run the cloth along his stomach. When it came to his personal space, Naoji knew that Lui didn't care that much about it. He was always touching him or feeling on him or just staying close to him in some way. Over time Naoji grew to accept and appreciate the closeness, but today Lui was getting too close for comfort. Naoji felt a loose part of the cloth brush against his more sensitive areas and knew that Lui's hand would be following soon. In his nervousness he quickly grabbed Lui's wrist to keep it from moving anymore.

The two of them started at each other though not for long. Naoji quickly turned his face away and let his hair form a curtain in front of his face which had turned bright red all over again.

He coughed a few times before finally stuttering "Please, d-don't go…." He drifted off as embarrassment overwhelmed him.

"Any lower?" Lui finished for him. Naoji just coughed a few times and let Lui's hand go, trusting him to respect his wishes. Lui did so for the most part. He skipped over the area he knew Naoji didn't want him to touch and instead started washing his thighs. He felt Naoji shudder a bit and smiled. That was all he wanted…. He loved seeing at least a little rise out of his Japanese friend.

He took his time washing both of Naoji's legs, taking time to notice the tiny, almost inaudible squeaks his friend would let out and the way he clenched his fists closed when Lui would get a bit closer to his special area.

After a while Lui finished having his fun with Naoji's long legs and told him to sit up.

"All that's left is your back and then we're done," Lui told him. He helped Naoji sit up and began rubbing his back with the cloth. Naoji moved his hair to the side and held it tightly so it wouldn't get in Lui's way.

"Thank you for doing this, Lui," Naoji said. He would have said more but he felt Lui's hand go lower down his back…a bit too far for Naoji's taste.

"Lui!" Naoji cried, scooting a bit away from him. He looked at him and didn't know exactly how to react to his friend's smirk. Lui didn't say anything else as he continued to wash Naoji's back. Lui could see Naoji's hand tighten around hair if he felt the cloth go lower. He smiled and brushed his lips against Naoji's neck, making him shudder again. Naoji quickly turned his face away, but Lui turned it right back. He pressed their foreheads together and gently rubbed Naoji's cheek with the cloth.

"Do you feel better?"

Naoji couldn't turn his head away so he just lowered his eyes and nodded. He could feel Lui's breath against him and he closed his eyes to try and get control of his emotions. Lui loved to tease him and tonight he had done an excellent job. He gasped as Lui brushed his lips against his. Naoji had been teased all this time. He couldn't resist anymore! He leaned up to give Lui a proper kiss, though it was met with air. Lui had stood just as Naoji leaned over the tub to kiss him, causing Naoji to nearly fall out of it. He quickly recovered and fell back into the tub with a large splash. He stared straight ahead at nothing wondering what had just happened.

"Here you are, Naoji," Lui said, holding out a towel to him. As Naoji took the towel he noticed the look on Lui's face. He had indeed seen that look before. That was his look of victory. Naoji smiled back at him, giving him the challenge to try his luck again. Perhaps next time wouldn't be so easy to get a rise out of him.

Naoji stood up, all embarrassment lost about being seen naked. He was expecting Lui to dry him and didn't want to admit that he was disappointed that he didn't. He quickly dried himself off and walked into his main room. Lui handed him some different pajamas than the ones had been wearing and turned around. Naoji wasn't sure why he was bothering to give him privacy now when had been the one to take his clothes off in the first place.

He touched Lui's shoulder to let him know he had finished dressing. Lui quickly turned around and hooked his fingers in Naoji's pants, bringing him closer to him.

"You look so much better," Lui said. He ran his fingers through Naoji's hair, admiring and toying with every strand.

Before Naoji could say anything Lui pressed his lips against his, forcing him to open his mouth. Naoji was shocked and a little scared, but he did his best to calm himself down. He wrapped his arms around Lui's neck and kissed him back. The emotions that Lui made him feel were all new to him, but he loved all of them. He adored and treasured Lui and wanted to stay with him forever. He wanted to tell him that when he broke away from the kiss. They stared each other in the eye and Naoji opened his mouth to speak.

"I…I…." Naoji closed his eyes and took a deep breath to compose himself. It was then that he remembered something.

"Why did you do that?" he yelled, pushing away from Lui. "I'm still sick. You might catch it again!" The last thing Naoji wanted was to be the reason that Lui was sick again.

Lui smiled at him. Oh, how he loved getting a rise out of Naoji. It wasn't often he heard him raise his voice even if it was just by a small amount. "You seem fine to me."

Naoji would have argued back, but he realized that Lui was right for the most part. He hadn't coughed even once in quite a while and his throat was starting to feel exceptionally better. He felt better than he had in days.

"How…how did just taking a bath…?"

"Good night, Naoji. I expect to see you in classes tomorrow."

"You're not staying?"

Lui chuckled as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "I don't want to get sick. Good night."

Naoji stared after him for a few moments before laughing and shaking his head. Lui was such a tease….

**Ah...so much room for smut! So much room! I could cry! It's like there's so much foreplay and no sex! Dear god...I went the innocent route and I like it a lot but jeez there was so much opportunity for smut...**


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